KRNS

Any suggestions for a late 30's male to expand his circle of friends in the Minneapolis area? Reading groups, social gettogethers, etc. Thanks for any ideas.

NorCalif

Have you checked out meetup.com?

You can search by city, zip code, or type of interest.

There are 589 groups listed within 25 miles of Minneapolis.

http://www.meetup.com/cities/us/mn/minneapolis/groups/

It lists groups of people interested in almost anything you can think of: hiking, salsa dancing, politics, wine tasting, singles who dine out together, book clubs, foreign languages, various religions, all kinds of sports teams, etc. etc.

The groups often list profiles and photos of their members, "reviews" of group activities, and so on.

In our area, I used it to find a group of other people interested in taking hikes with their dogs, for example.

Good luck!

dfrostnh

Do you have any interest in public speaking and leadership skills? There are probably several Toastmaster clubs in your area. You can visit each to see if it's something you would like. Our group has a nice cross section of people from different backgrounds. The organization is international and speech contests are held twice a year that involve competing with other clubs.

abram

Ski clubs often have year-round activities, including some that are purely social.

KRNS

Thank you for suggestions. NorCalif, I passed info on to my son who actually then checked out meetup.com. His best friend is married and since he doesn't like to go out by himself he doesn't get out that much.
dfrostnh and abram, he's too shy for public speaking and he doesn't ski, but thank you for responding.

Karen

volcanogirl

Is there a volunteer group in the area? I did a lot of volunteer work with the Jaycees. It was a great way to meet people.

shormk2

In my town, several of the museums have affiliate groups. It's more about socializing and raising money for the museum then anything else. It's a great way to meet a lot of people. I'm not sure about Minneapolis, but he may want to look into some of the museums to see if they have anything like that. Just a thought.

volcanogirl

Is he religious at all? A lot of big churches have singles groups and socials. What about political groups like Young Republicans or Young Democrats? Or maybe an Intramural sports team like softball? I agree about museum memberships; I was a member of the Museum of Fine Arts, and they had a lot of fun socials. Maybe take a continuing education class?

Cali

If you attended a college, does your college have an alumni group. The University of MN has many active alumni groups all over the country and I am sure other colleges do too. It's a great way to meet people and also attend many social events.

abram

I wasn't clear--ski clubs have lots of non-skiing activities throughout the year. Biking, hiking, sailing, golfing, etc, and parties of every variety.

I'd also suggest that he think about an activity he likes and join a group related to that activity--or take a class in something he thinks he might enjoy.

cheribob

I really enjoy the Sierra Club. It has a very active outdoor activites part of the club that is separate from the political arm.

I would think that MN would have a very active Sierra Club chapter.

They have day hikes, backpacking weekends, canoe trips, bike rides... Anything to do with the outdoors. Another plus for him - on the Sierra club outings I have been on the women ALWAYS outnumber the men

KRNS

Thank you all for your suggestions. I passed info on to my son and hope he gets out more. He did go to a book club meeting as he loves to read. I am happy he is making an effort. Thanks again all who responded.

Karen

dfrostnh

I forgot the technique my almost-30 son uses to meet people. He looks on-line for clubs about his hobby. He reads the club forums to get to an idea of what the members are like, what they are doing and then attends a meeting or introduces himself on the club forum. By the time he meets people in person he has a good idea who they are and what they can talk about.

We've had some very shy people join Toastmasters to help them get over their shyness and meet more people. Some people join to help them with job skills esp if they have to present at meetings. One guy had a very bad review about his ability to conduct a meeting at work so he joined TM. He got fired soon after but by the time he found his next permanent job he had built up his confidence and ability to speak extemporaneously. Got great compliments at his interview ("answered questions as if he knew them ahead of time") and now receives excellent job reviews and compliments on how he conducts meetings. You can visit meetings to see if you like the group. Speeches are only 5-7 minutes and you work at your own pace. You choose your own topic. Meetings are never boring and often fascinating. (One member has hiked the entire Appalachian trail.) Speeches are evaluated but we learn to evaluate and encourage at the same time.

KRNS

Update,

Son just became engaged to a young woman he met at the bookclub last year. Thank you all, again, for your helpful responses!!!

Karen